Closer
by Falcon Strife
Summary: -Hiatus- When Tamao reveals a scandalous secret, Manta places her as his number one priority. But nothing draws troublesome attention more than when two friends become closer. HxTxR, and hints of MxT.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Closer  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: Drama/Romance  
**Summary**: When Tamao reveals a scandalous secret, Manta places her as his number one priority. But nothing draws troublesome attention more than when two friends become closer.  
**Disclaimer**: Shaman King is © Hiroyuki Takei. I am not, have not, and will not make money off of this work of fan-based fiction.

* * *

Manta watched with a quirked eyebrow as Tamao continued to mix a bowl of cookie dough beyond what was required. "Tamao?" He didn't receive an answer, and then sighed while leaning across the table to poke her arm. As he expected, she let out a startled cry and smacked him in the face with the spatula, and then he sat down and began wiping the dough from his face. "Tamao-chan, are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh… I'm sorry!" Tamao cried, realizing what she had just done, and then looked down with a red face. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Manta replied gently. "You've been sitting there for almost five minutes now. You look like you're going to cry." He frowned. "Tamao-chan, did Hao hurt you?"

"N-No," she replied meekly. "I'm fine."

"You can tell me, Tamao-chan," Manta insisted. "I want you to smile again. You don't do enough of it lately."

Tamao looked at him nervously for several minutes, and then looked around the room before standing up and holding her arms out. "What do you see?"

Manta looked at her blankly for a moment, and then smiled. "You promise not to scream or hurt me?" He thought when she nodded quickly, and then blushed. "Well, I see a very beautiful young lady. Your breasts are finally developing and you're more shapely."

Tamao turned bright red at Manta's response, and then hugged herself embarrassedly. "Th-that's just it, though!"

Manta tilted his head. "You're upset that you're growing up?"

"N-No…" Tamao replied shyly, and then sighed. "You… You really want me to tell you?"

Manta nodded. "Tamao-chan, everybody misses your breakfast smiles and dinner blushes."

"You have to promise not to say anything," Tamao said quickly. "You can't tell anybody or I'll let Ponchi and Conchi punish you!"

Manta shivered at the thought of being punished by the delinquent yamagami, and then looked worriedly at Tamao. He had never seen her be so defensive. "Tamao-chan, I won't tell. I promise." He watched as Tamao rocked herself nervously for a moment, and then reddened when she began to lift her shirt. "Tamao-chan?"

"Um…" She stammered, holding her shirt just a little above her belly. "Just…. Just think of before Mannoko was born."

Manta frowned, and then studied her stomach for a moment before paling. "T-Tamao-chan… You… I mean… Uh… Is that what I think?" he asked nervously. When he received a nod in response, he swallowed hard. "So… You and Hao are, uh, serious?"

Tamao shook her head slowly. "It's… complicated…"

"What are you talking about? Does he know?" Manta asked quickly.

"Does who know what?"

Manta cried out hearing the deep voice, and then looked quickly to the kitchen entrance while Tamao shrieked and pulled her shirt down further than necessary. "R-Ryu-san?" he asked with a bit of agitated relief. "You shouldn't sneak up on people!"

"It's time for me to make dinner," Ryu said with a confused look. "I always come in at 4:35." He walked over to Tamao and gave her a one-armed hug with a big grin. "What masterpiece shall we whip up tonight?" he asked the blushing girl.

"Um… Uh…" She stammered for several seconds before Ryu released her with a chuckle, and then sat down quickly and began mixing the dough furiously.

Manta watched as Tamao beat away at the dough anxiously, and then his eyes widened slightly when he noticed her casting nervous glances at the older shaman. "Um… Tamao?"

She looked up nervously at the boy for a moment. "Yes?" she replied meekly.

"Um… The cake… Is it going to be banana or lemon?" he asked, hoping she would realize he was using Ryu and Hao's favorite cakes analogically.

"Um…" Her face grew redder at the question as she looked down at the dough. "Banana…" she whispered.

"Banana cake?" Ryu asked excitedly while looking back.

Manta stared at Tamao incredulously for several minutes before smiling weakly. "Okay."

"Manta!" Anna shouted from somewhere inside the onsen.

"Eh…!" He smiled nervously at Tamao as he jumped out of his seat. "I'll talk to you later, Tamao-chan."

Tamao watched helplessly as the short teen ran from the kitchen, and then sighed while glancing sadly at Ryu.


	2. Chapter 2

It was later that evening when Manta and Tamao saw each other again. Tamao seemed less sad, but she still wasn't smiling; although, he certainly didn't blame her, knowing what was going on with her. 

"Tamao-chan? You okay?" he asked cautiously.

She nodded slowly while staring out the kitchen window. "Hao-sama is agitated today… And Ryu-san is so happy…"

"You told them?" Manta asked confusedly.

"No… I didn't want Hao-sama to be angrier. And Ryu-san gets so angry with himself about what happened."

Manta tilted his head. "Why is that?"

She bit her lower lip, and then looked back to Manta. "He could get into a lot of trouble, you know."

"Oh… That's true," he said with a frown, and then looked around the kitchen. "Ryu went all out tonight, didn't he?" he asked, noticing the kitchen seemed bare.

"Horo and Ren have been over every night," she replied. "The groceries should probably be done tomorrow."

Manta frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah…" Suddenly he looked up at Tamao and gave her a sunny smile. "I'll be back in a sec."

Tamao watched confusedly as Manta ran out of the kitchen, and then sighed while looking back out the window. Only minutes later she heard Anna call her, and then sighed while leaving the kitchen and approaching the dining room. "Yes, Anna-sama?"

"It's come to my attention that the groceries are low," Anna said with her arms crossed over her chest. "Somebody needs to get them."

"Um…" Tamao looked to the floor nervously. "I-I'll get on that as soon as I finish dinner, Anna-sama."

"That's the other thing," Anna interrupted. "Horo and Ren decided to show up again. We're two plates short. Manta volunteered his meal, so he's going to get the groceries, but you're going to have to help him."

Tamao sighed in defeat while nodding. "Yes, Anna-sama."

"And he's going to treat you to whatever you want for dinner," Anna continued in her unique gentleness that she reserved for Tamao and Yoh. "Isn't that right, Manta?" she demanded while looking at the blonde boy menacingly.

"R-Right, Anna-san!" Manta replied with a nervous grin. "Her wish is my command!"

"Oh…" Tamao looked at the two nervously, and then nodded slowly.

"Manta."

Manta looked back to Hao, who had called his attention. "Uh… Yes, Hao?"

"You had better look after my girl, Manta," the older Asakura sibling said icily. "Otherwise you'll be Spirit of Fire's midnight snack."

"Hao," Yoh scolded as Manta squirmed. "You know you're not supposed to pick on Manta."

"I'm not," Hao replied innocently while looking to his younger brother. "I'm making sure my Tammy will be safe."

"You're the only one she needs saving from, Hao," Ren said coolly.

Manta bit his lip nervously as Hao defended his threat, and then looked at Tamao. "Um… Let's go."

"Okay," Tamao replied while watching Hao embarrassedly, and then blushed when Manta took her hand.

Ren looked up as the two began to walk out, and then smirked. "Hey, you two. Don't forget to use protection."

Silence filled the onsen.

"What?" Hao asked in a low voice.

"Wh-what?!" Manta sputtered.

"You know," Ren replied, "protection. Gloves."

"They're just going to the grocery store, Ren," yoh said with one of his rare, embarrassed looks.

"So?" Horo asked, joining Ren's game. "There's no telling what they might have."

"I hadn't even thought about that, Horo," Ren said with smirk. "Look at Tamao, living with four guys, and there's no telling how many girls throw themselves at Manta to get a piece of his money."

"Ren," Yoh hissed with a startled expression.

Tamao shook with tearful eyes as the two older teens went on, and then looked down when she felt Manta release her hand. "M-Manta?"

"How dare you talk about Tamao like that?" Manta whispered. "How dare you talk about her like she's a whore?"

Yoh stared worriedly at his best friend. He knew that Manta believed his appearance would keep him from finding love, but the short teen still cherished Tamao and Anna and their other female friends like goddesses. He couldn't imagine how angry or hurt Manta was at that moment, but it made Yoh sad to see Manta trembling the way he was. "Manta…"

"Who said anything about whores?" Ren asked innocently as Horo snickered. "I'm talking about the gloves the supermarkets have so you don't have to touch the food with your bare hands."

"WHAT?!" Hao, Ryu and Yoh yelled after another moment of dead silence.

As the three began yelling at Ren, Tamao stared with watery eyes, and then after several minutes she made her meanest face. "You big meanies!" she shrieked, and then grabbed Manta's hand and dragged him away.

Hao stared nervously at the doorway, not used to seeing his girlfriend angry, and then looked heatedly at Ren. "That wasn't funny."

"Horo helped," the Tao replied, maintaining his innocent tone.

"You know he's influential," Ryu snapped.

"Yeah," Horo replied with a smug grin while nodding, and then cried out when Ryu hit him in the back of the head. "That hurt!"

"Don't give me another reason," Ryu said angrily.

Yoh sighed while standing up. "You guys really hurt their feelings," he said sadly, and then left the dining room.

Anna watched from the front door as Yoh went to the hall closet to gather some weights, and then looked out toward the street, where she saw Manta and Tamao disappear around the fence. She remained silent for several minutes, and then shook her head while walking back into the onsen.


	3. Chapter 3

"Manta-sama?" Tamao asked meekly while following Manta into the busier part of Funbari ga Ohka. "Manta-sama, are you okay?"

"Yea, Tamao," Manta sighed, and then came to a stop and looked back to her. "Tamao... That took a lot of courage, what you did back there."

"Oh... Um..." Tamao stammered nervously.

"Thanks. Even if you didn't get through to Ren, Horo will probably be a little less mean now," Manta explained, and then smiled. "I'm gonna call Tamurazaki so he can take the groceries back to the onsen for us. What do you want for dinner?"

"Um... You really don't have to do that, Manta-sama," Tamao replied nervously.

Manta sighed. "Anna-san will hurt me if I don't take you somewhere. And anyway, it's not a big deal for me, Tamao. I can afford any place in the world."

"But... Friends ask only for your time," Tamao said nervously. "Not your money."

"And I want you to spend your time enjoyably," Manta replied cheerfully. "You aren't asking for anything. I'm asking you what you want."

Tamao blushed embarrassedly while bowing her head. "Um... Well... I wouldn't mind burgers..."

Manta gave her a curious look. "Burgers? I thought you didn't like them."

"I do," she admitted quietly. "But... Ryu-san likes being able to help Yoh-sama and Anna-sama, so he always has to make grand meals."

Manta frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm... And Anna-san won't let Yoh near anything with grease." He smiled at Tamao again. "Alright, then. Burgers it is, after we get the groceries."

The two focused on their shopping task after that. When they arrived at the store they spent their time debating over brand names, checking fruits and vegetables for freshness, talking about how they couldn't believe the ridiculously high and low prices of different products, and other grocery-related topics. Once they had gathered their groceries, Manta called Tamurazaki, and then paid for the groceries.

"We should do that more often," Manta said with a smile as they left the store. "Yoh-kun isn't that great to talk to when doing groceries."

"I know," Tamao replied with an embarrassed smile. "He's like a kid in a candy store."

"Oh," Manta said thoughtfully. "I never thought. I should have got us some desert."

"Well, I made those cookies," Tamao replied with a smile. "We can have them when we get home."

"Yeah," Manta replied with a nod. "That sounds good." He looked up when he heard a car pulling up, and then smiled. "Hi, Tamurazaki-san," he called as a tall, blonde man emerged from the driver's door.

"Good evening, Manta-san," Tamurazaki replied while looking over to the two teens, and then smiled. "Good evening, Miss."

"Um... Hello," Tamao replied nervously, and then bowed.

"I hadn't realized you were with a friend, Manta," Tamurazaki said while opening the trunk, and then began to help Manta load the groceries.

"Yeah. Sorry to bother you on your night off, Tamurazaki. Tamao and I are going to get some dinner, and it would be awkward to carry the groceries with us," Manta said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I certainly don't want your evening spoiled, Manta-san," Tamurazaki replied, and then glanced over the car to see where Tamao was. She was sitting on a bench by the store, waiting for Manta. Deciding she was far enough, he leaned down and smiled at Manta. "You make sure you take care of her. Treat her right."

Manta quirked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing,"Tamurazaki replied. "It's good to see you're finally finding female companions."

Manta watched as Tamurazaki closed the trunk, and then frowned. "Tamurazaki," he said cooly.

"Yes, Manta?" the man replied while looking back.

Manta crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not like Too-san. You know that, right?"

"Of course, Manta," the secretary replied with a smile.

"Because it sounded like you were accusing me of something," Manta said a bit more angrily.

"I was just saying that you should treat her right," Tamurazaki replied with a tone that Manta called 'innocent business'.

Manta sighed irritably. "Just for the record, Tamao is dating Yoh-kun's brother. Don't bother giving Too-san any ideas."

"I hadn't planned on giving him ideas, Manta," Tamurazaki replied with a smile.

Manta watched as the secretary re-entered then cleared his throat. "Tamurazaki, please tell Anna-san to have the milk put away. Tamao and I will look after the rest when we get back."

"Very well," Tamurazaki replied, closed the driver door, and then pulled away.

"Um... Manta?"

Manta looked up when he heard Tamao, and then smiled. "Yeah?"

Tamao looked at him worriedly for a moment. "Manta... You seemed angry with him."

Manta blinked hard when she explained what was on her mind, and then sighed. "Tamurazaki seems to think that I'm like my father. "

"Um... Why would that make you angry?" she asked.

Manta looked at the ground with an embarrassed groan. "Too-san... likes women," he said quietly.

"Oh..." Tamao replied embarrassedly. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Manta sighed, and then looked up. "It's not your fault my father's a dirty old man. Just don't tell the guys. Hao, Ren and Horo would have a field day if they found out."

"I won't even tell Anna-san," Tamao replied while raising her left hand, and then smiled. "Um... So were we going to get dinner?"

"Oh yeah!" Manta laughed, cheered up by the thought of fast food burgers. "How about McDonalds?"

"Okay!" Tamao replied with a bright smile, and then they began walking towards the nearest McDonalds.


	4. Chapter 4

Tamao sighed happily while munching on the Big Mac. Her stomach was disagreeing with the sudden heavy intake of greasy food, but at the same time she was delighted with the treat. While Ryu may have had the perfect formula for the healthiest burger, it wasn't the same as fast food.

Manta watched appreciatively as she ate. He was used to seeing her eat minimally in a dainty fashion; tonight she had ordered the supersized Big Mac combo, a six pack of McNuggets, and an Oreo McFlurry. He could only think of two reasons for the dramatic change in how she ate; the first would be that she was totally comfortable with his presence and followed his insistance to relax. The second was that she was simply delighted with the treat and had forgotten he was even there. He believed it was the latter reason, but he felt no sadness in it. Simply seeing her smile for the first time in weeks filled him with a warmth.

"Thank you, Manta," Tamao said suddenly while looking at him brightly. "It's such a good change."

"Glad you're enjoying it," Manta laughed before biting into his cheeseburger. Knowing he wouldn't be able to eat more, he had simply gone with a Cheeseburger Kids Meal and apple slices; he gave Tamao the fairy princess doll that she had been silently eyeing while at they placed their order.

Tamao watched Manta quietly, and then cleared her throat while glancing away. "Are you going to say anything?" she asked, not wanting Manta to have the guilt of breaking the moments of security.

Manta swallowed while looking at her confusedly, and then slowly looked away when he realized what she was talking about. "Oh, yeah. Uh... Well, why don't you tell me what you want to talk about?" He looked up quickly. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about anything," he said quickly, "you don't have to. It's really none of my business and..." He trailed off as Tamao chuckled softly. "Tamao-chan?"

Tamao looked down at her food thoughtfully, and then sighed. "I want to talk about it, but I don't know where to start, and what I should or shouldn't say."

Manta thought for a moment, and then gave her a reassuring smile. "Why don't you tell me who the father is? That can help us find a starting point."

Tamao frowned. Hadn't she answered this question earlier? Why did she have to say it out loud? But Manta did have a point, and she didn't know anybody who she trusted more with such information. "Ryu-san..."

Manta bit his lip anxiously. He was hoping that it wasn't. There were enough complications with Hao, and he was only a couple years older. Ryu was almost three years older than himself. "Well... What led you two to such an intimate encounter?" he asked. "Was it while you two accompanied Mikihisa for training? I know the second hand marijuanna tends to make Ryu-san a little loopier than normal."

Tamao shook her head. "No. Mikihisa refrained because I was there." She looked thoughtfully at her food. "When you guys went to Hokkaido for training, Hao-sama grew... impatient." She closed her eyes with a sigh. "He kept touching me and saying things and reading and watching dirty things when I was around."

Manta felt guilty then. Tamao had called one day while they were away and seemed desparate to know when they would return. Now he knew why.

"I didn't tell him about, but I think Ryu-san might have known what was going on," she said softly. "He started treating me like he treats you and Yoh-sama."

Manta frowned. Ryu insisted on minimal interaction with Tamao in case he accidentally said or did something to startle her, and quite possibly earn himself another kick in the groin.

"He's always been nice to me, but he was so good to me at that time," she continued. "He always knew what to say, even though I never told him what was going on. One night it was cold and he brought me some wonderful tea to warm me up." She blushed. "You know that feeling when you haven't drank in a long time? Not the painful part, but the needy feeling? I started getting that feeling for him."

Manta nodded slowly, recognizing the description. "I think I know what you mean," he said lightly. "Is it like an emotional form of arousal?"

Tamao blushed more fiercely. "Um... I think you could say that."

Manta smiled faintly. "There was a time when I had that needy feeling for Yoh-kun. It wasn't that I was in love with him, or that I had sexual feelings for him. I just didn't feel complete in his absence. I sometimes still have that feeling when he goes away for training, but I think it's because he was the first person to truly care about me." He laughed. "Thinking about it now, I'm surprised I didn't mistake it for romantic or sexual desire."

Tamao smiled faintly, akward towards the subject of conversation, but also relieved that Manta understood the feelings she tried to convey. "One night Hao-sama came to my room." She glanced away while considering her words carefully. "He was being very bossy about it." She frowned, deciding not to reveal more about the incident, and then sighed. "I was upset and went to spend time in the hot spring. Ryu was there when I got there and said he would leave, but I wanted him to stay."

Manta studied her careful, realizing whatever she had to say next, she was ashamed of. "Ryu-san is a very comforting person if he thinks something is wrong," he said with a smile. "Don't tell anybody, but I've see Anna join him when she's bothered by something. They don't talk or do anything; I think maybe they have some sort of psychic link they won't tell us about." With this he laughed, knowing that the only way Ryu would have such a level of empathy is if he acquired it through psuedo death; he had yet to prove he has gained such ability.

Tamao cupped her mouth for a moment while breathing deeply, and then closed her eyes. "I don't know why I wanted him so much, Manta." She shook her head while holding back guilty tears. "I did things and pretended it was an accident, just so he wouldn't know what I was doing. I thought if his body was wanting it would just happen, and he wouldn't think about it."

Manta blushed faintly, trying to imagine Tamao attempting to seduce somebody. It seemed impossible to him. Even so, everybody grew up sooner or later, and Tamao wouldn't always be a little girl.

"It seemed to work." A faint smile graced her face, though tears ran down her face. "It felt so wonderful in his arms, Manta. Sitting in his lap, it felt safe like when Mikihisa-sama would let me sit in his lap and read to me. And I felt so warm being able to hug him so closely." She smiled a bit more. "He was so gentle, and he made me feel so good inside and out. He never did anything I didn't ask him to do."

Manta nodded slowly, his concern replaced with an overwhelming happiness for Tamao, who seemed to have had the perfect "first time", even if it hadn't been with her boyfriend.

"The next morning was horrible," Tamao said, her voice suddenly cracking. "Ryu was so scared that he had taken advantage of me, and he was so angry with himself." She sobbed. "It was the worst thing ever! Manta, I made him cry so hard!"

The abrupt change in Tamao's story and tone violently brought reality crashing back down around Manta. "Tamao-chan," he said quickly while reaching to grasp her hand. "It's okay. It'll be okay." He wasn't sure why he said that. It didn't make sense to himself at that point.

"It's not okay," she replied while looking up at him. "Bokuto no Ryu isn't supposed to cry. He's supposed to be pleased and gloat when he has sex. He's not supposed to hate himself for my decision."

Manta stared at her, his own eyes welling with tears. Why hadn't he seen this coming? He of all people should have remembered that there was no such thing as a happy ending.


End file.
